Through My Eyes
by DareToDream17
Summary: Rachel Berry doesn't know a lot of things: what she looks like, just how toned Puck's abs are, and why she is so different than everyone else.  But she does know one thing: the sound of her voice.
1. Prologue

Prologue

On April 21, 1992, a beautiful baby girl was born. She was delivered by a single woman who was not ready to have a child but had herself go through with it anyway. As the baby girl was being delivered, the woman couldn't help but feel one thing- guilt- as she saw the two gay men standing next to her hospital bed, holding her hands comfortingly and telling her that she could do it. They were patiently waiting to see _their _little girl for the first time, unaware of the knowledge that the woman was keeping from him.

After her thirty-two week checkup, the sonogram showed that the baby had a malformation in the retina. The doctor told her that there was a high probability of her child contracting blindness at birth, but the woman disregarded it. After all, it was impossible to think that a child she was carrying could be anything less than perfect. She took prenatal vitamins, ate healthy foods, and didn't drink a sip of alcohol in those long nine months. So instead of telling Rick and Matthew, the men that she was carrying the baby for, that something might be wrong with the baby, she kept the information to herself. She was _scared_. She didn't want the couple to freak out and suddenly not want the baby, and she needed the money that they were paying her. She was only twenty-one, and she had college to pay off, rents to pay, and food to buy. This baby was providing her a life for herself, and she providing a miracle to a couple.

Many tortuous hours later, the baby finally came out, and the woman could not have been more relieved. The girl had pink cheeks and a tuft of brown hair. She looked healthy. The woman suddenly felt foolish for thinking that there would be something wrong with the baby.

The fathers crooned and smiled as they saw their daughter for the first time. Once she baby was whisked away to get checked up on, the woman sat nervously in the bed. What if something _did _go wrong? She would hate to see the look of shock on the couple's faces if they learned that their daughter was… malformed. The poor girl would already have a hard life with two gay, multi-race dads, and it would be horrible if she had _another _thing that stood her apart from everyone else.

The doctor came back in, and the woman looked at him hopefully. He, however, was not smiling.

"You two might want to sit down," he nodded to Rick and Matthew. "I am afraid I do not have the best news."

"What? Is our little girl okay?" Rick asked hurriedly.

"We will do whatever it takes to make her better," Matthew added. The two of them still hadn't decided on a name for the girl, so they were forced to use pronouns when speaking about their child.

"She will be okay," the doctor said. "But I do have bad news. Your daughter is legally blind."

The two men stared at each other in shock. "How?" Matthew sputtered. "She has been perfectly healthy with Shelby…"

"So you did not know? It has been recorded since the thirty-two week check-up," the doctor said. "I just looked over the files and it is clear that the baby is blind. You can see the malformation in the recent sonograms, which mean that her eyes are completely clouded. I have seen other children blind from birth, and I am afraid that your child _is _blind. I am assuming that the mother must know?" he looked at the woman.

"No… You didn't tell us about that," Rick said, looking at the woman on the hospital bed. He looked at her hopefully, praying to God that she was just as clueless about the situation as he and Matthew were.

"I am sorry," the young woman bit her lip. "I know it was wrong of me, but I couldn't tell you guys. I thought that it would all be okay, and she wouldn't be blind, since the doctors said that there was a chance that she would be alright. I didn't want to burden you guys… I feel terrible for keeping this from you."

"How dare you!" Matthew exploded. "We have paid you thirty-thousand dollars to give us a baby, and you _lied _to us about what was going on! You told us that she was perfectly healthy! I can't believe this."

"Please don't sue me," the woman whispered. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Before the men could argue further, the little baby that they were all yelling about entered the room.

"Would you like to hold her?" a nurse asked, breaking the tension in the room.

The men nodded and held the baby close. Either way, that baby was _theirs_. The fact that she was blind from birth was heartbreaking, but it would not be the end of the world. She was destined to be their daughter, and they would accept her regardless of her disability. In fact, it only made them love her more. She was unique, much like them.

"We never want to speak to you again," Rick said quietly to the woman. "We are grateful that you gave us this child, but what you did is unspeakable. Please stay away from our daughter forever. She has a tough life ahead of her, and we want to make sure that we can give her the best life possible."

"I understand," the woman nodded. "I do hope you can forgive me one day though."

Matthew scoffed. "Don't expect anything more from us."

Later on that day, the dads decided on the name Rachel Berry. It was a regal name, one that would fit their surely-to-be successful girl. As they gazed at Rachel all day on April 21, they were mesmerized with her big brown, glassy eyes and fair complexion. Though she would never know it, she was beautiful. It pained her fathers to know that this girl would have much of her world taken away from her, like what she looked like, when her fathers wanted to give her the world. But this girl would be strong. She would be talented and happy, and she would live a wonderful life.

_And that was the day that a star was born. _

**A/N**: **I would like to start off this author's note by saying thank you for choosing this story to read! Once this plot came into my head, I knew I had to do it. I already have a few chapters written, so I hope that you like it! Also, I am not a doctor, so I do not know much about blindness from birth, but I did look up facts and information before I wrote this story. I do not want an inaccurate story, so hopefully this information is correct. **

**By the way, the chapters coming are much longer! This is just a prologue :) **


	2. Chapter 1: Enemies On the First Day

Chapter 1: Enemies On the First Day

Rachel Berry tried to picture what musical notes looked like on a sheet of paper, but nothing came to her mind. She squeezed her eyes together, still seeing the usual- nothing. Instead of agonizing over what she could never do, she opened up her mouth and sang what she pictured. As she heard her clear voice ring through her bedroom, she smiled. Her voice was her most prized possession. Because she couldn't see, she had to rely on listening and speaking. After seventeen years of listening to every sound around her, that skill was impeccable.

Her other talent was singing. Rachel literally grew up singing. Her voice was the only think that Rachel truly _knew_. She had no idea what she looked like, what her fathers looked like, or what the world looked like. She felt like she was in a huge puzzle, and all of the pieces around her didn't fit together. But when she sang… she felt like she knew who she was. She loved the sound of her voice as she hit notes that she heard nobody else hit. It made Rachel feel normal… even special.

Being blind did everything but help Rachel. Sadly, kids don't like kids who are different, and Rachel was no exception. For some unexplainable, despicable reason, the kids that Rachel went to school with made fun of her. Though she couldn't _see _the people taunting her, she heard every single one of their rude remarks. She was ignored by virtually everybody yet ridiculed behind her back. What kind of world was this? Rachel felt like she knew little about the sheltered world that she lived in, but she didn't like this world one bit.

"Rachel, honey?" her dads knocked on her door, alerting her that they were in the room.

"Are you ready for your first day of school?" Matthew asked excitedly.

"I guess. I haven't really thought much about it," Rachel replied. In truth, Rachel spent _every _second thinking about the new school she would be attending, McKinley High. Today would be her first day at a new school, and she had hope that her life would be better here. It would be awkward, stumbling around the school until she memorized the paths, but she felt like she could handle this change. It would be worth it.

"What would you like us to pick out for you today?" Rick asked gently.

"A dress, perhaps?" Rachel tried to picture what this garment looked like as her dads searched her closest. She knew it went to her knees, it was soft… And that was about it. Her dads told her that she looked lovely in dresses, so she figured she should look nice on her first day.

"Here you go," Rick handed her that garment.

"You know, how I am supposed to know that this isn't really ugly?" Rachel joked.

"You just have to trust us," Matthew laughed, "But I promise we do have great fashion sense."

Rachel _did _trust her fathers. They were in the only people in the world that she trusted. They raised her, and even though Rachel could not see them, she felt like she understood them. They were outsiders like her. They were mocked for being gay, and they knew the feelings that Rachel went through on a daily basis. Consequently, they were happy to move to Ohio when Rachel requested it because they _also _wanted to start over.

Her fathers left to give her privacy, and Rachel whisked the dress over her head. She had no idea how she looked, but somehow, she _felt _pretty today.

When her dads reentered, they fiddled with her hair and even put some make-up on her. It bothered Rachel _to no end _not knowing that they were doing to her. They told her that her long brown hair was in curls, but how was she so sure that she knew what curls looked like? How was she so sure that she knew what _brown _looked like? What if everything that she pictured wasn't a real… it was just a lie? That was Rachel's biggest fear.

After breakfast, her dads drove her to the new school. Rachel fiddled impatiently in the back seat, nervous about her first day at a new school. She listened to many television shows, so she knew that the new girl doesn't always become magically popular. Especially the blind girl.

Too soon for Rachel's liking, Rachel's fathers announced that they were there. She could feel the heat through the window, so she knew it was a sunny day. A nice way to start her first day at a new school, in Rachel's opinion. Maybe it was a good sign.

Her dads had to help her out of the car and walk with her to the front of the school, much to Rachel's embarrassment. She preferred to use a cane when walking. Her fathers initially insisted that Rachel use a wheelchair to prevent any harm, but Rachel refused. After all, she could walk. She was not crippled, so there was no reason to put even more attention on Rachel's disability.

As she walked with her dads guiding her, she could _feel _the students' eyes on her. She had on a pair of sunglasses, as she was not quite ready for the school to find out that she was blind just yet. They most likely thought that she was just the cowardly new student that had to get escorted by her parents because she was afraid. Well, the day was off to a great start already, wasn't it? Her peers already thought that she was a wimp.

"Here we are," Rick announced. "We are in the front office for you to pick up your schedule. Have a great day at school, Rach."

"Call us if you need _anything_," Matthew added. "And we will pick you up when school ends, okay?"

"Thanks," Rachel said, "I will see you guys later."

After she heard her fathers' departing footsteps, Rachel suddenly felt so alone. Here she was, in a new school with no friends, and she was _blind_. She would have to tell her peers numerous times that she was blind, and she would have to endure their reactions which would range from awe to disgust.

"Sweetie?" an assistant from the school asked Rachel.

"Um… are you talking to me?" Rachel asked.

"Oh yes, dear, I am so sorry. I forgot that you could not see me talking to you." The woman cleared her throat awkwardly. "Anyway, here is your schedule."

She felt a sheet of paper being shoved into her hands.

"I am afraid this won't help," Rachel sighed, annoyed by the assistant's oblivion. "I am _blind_, so I cannot read this. I have no idea where to go."

"Of course!" the assistant sputtered. "Hold on a second. I will fix this."

A few minutes later, Rachel heard the assistant return. There was a second pair of footsteps with her though.

"Rachel," the assistant said loudly, acting like Rachel was deaf, much to Rachel's annoyance. "I have somebody here that you will follow all day. He will be your guide. You two have the same schedule so it will work out nicely, yes?"

She heard a male voice grumble. "Why do I have to show this girl around? She can handle it on her own. She only like broke her leg or something."

"Noah Puckerman," the woman said sternly, not correcting him that Rachel was blind and not injured. "You need those community service hours, and this is the only way that you will stay out of jail. I suggest you close your mouth and do as I say."

Woah, woah, woah… Rachel's guide was with a _delinquent_? She was immediately terrified of this boy that she couldn't see.

"He is right, this is unnecessary," Rachel said quickly. "I will find my way around just fine, thank you."

"Nonsense! You need a guide, and Noah needs to do something good. Now go to class you two!" the assistant said.

Rachel sighed but followed the boy out of the office by listening closely to his footsteps. Once she could tell that she was out of the office, she stopped.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked rudely. "Don't just stop in the middle of the hall. Come on."

"I don't know where I am going from here," Rachel grit her teeth.

"What the hell are you talking about? Follow me. That's why I'm your _guide_. Oh yeah, and you might want to take those sunglasses off. They are banned from school and you look kind of stupid wearing them inside."

After just a few minutes of knowing this boy, Rachel already knew that she did hated Noah Puckerman. He was already treating her like she was invisible, and he didn't even know her. _Like the fact that she was blind_. Rachel hated people who made quick judgments. Those kind of people honestly made no sense to her.

When Rachel didn't say anything, he just huffed. "I see I got stuck with a stubborn one. Well I am going to class, so if you don't come, that's not my problem."

After she heard him starting to walk away, she threw her sunglasses down in anger. "You want to know why I cant follow you? It's not because of a broken leg. No, it's something a little bit more serious than that. _I am blind. _Now do you see? I am in a new school and I have no idea about… anything."

She heard the boy's intake of breath. "I am-"

"Don't even finish that sentence. Sorry, right? You're sorry that you automatically were a jerk to me, and now that you know that I am blind, you pity me, right? And when you are with all of your friends, you are just going to make fun of 'that blind girl' that you are stuck with, huh?"

"I am not sorry," Puck said, much to Rachel's surprise. "I am not sorry because I didn't do this to you. I had no control over what caused this. And no, I don't pity you. Clearly you don't need any pity, considering you just bitched me out and made me look like a douche, and _nobody _has done that to me before. Nah, I would say you don't need anyone's pity."

Rachel was shocked by the boy's words. Nobody had ever been so upfront with her. They were all scared of making fun of her to her face, so they did it behind her back instead. But this boy… he was different. She could tell. Even though she didn't like him, and the fact that he was a juvenile delinquent scared her to death, she knew that Noah Puckerman was unlike any other guy in the world.

… … …

"Where are we going to next?" Rachel asked Puck. It was right after third period, and _somehow_, Rachel had made it through half the day alive. It had been hard though. She was embarrassed when she almost missed the chair as she went to sit down in one class, and she could hear her classmates murmuring gossip about her. All of her teachers so far had pointed out that fact that Rachel was blind to the class, like that would benefit Rachel. They said things like, "So make sure you help her out," and that only made Rachel want to leave and transfer schools again. No matter where Rachel went, she just couldn't be normal.

"Lunch," Puck answered her question.

Rachel nodded and followed closely behind Puck, mirroring his echoing footsteps. The school was easy to get around, much to Rachel's happiness. She stayed close to Puck, and so far, she had little trouble.

"So I am going to sit with all my friends," Puck said. "You will be okay, right? Finding somewhere to sit? I will see you again after lunch, I guess."

"Sure," Rachel said. Apparently she was a good liar or Puck just didn't care, because she and Puck both knew that she would _not _be okay. She only knew one person at McKinley, and he didn't want to talk to her and ditched her for his friends. Her and Puck had talked very little throughout the day. The fact that Rachel was blind didn't effect him like it did the other students. He ignored her, which was something that none of the other kids could do.

She heard him leave, and Rachel felt loneliness creep on her once again. With the help of her walking cane, she found a table. Before she sat down, she asked, "Is anybody sitting here? I am new, and I need a place to sit…"

"This table is yours," she heard a voice reply. And then she heard the scraping of trays, a telltale sign that the people at the table were leaving. But not without hearing the whispered words "_that blind girl_."

Rachel sat down, now completely abandoned and heartbroken. She forced herself to hold in the tears that wanted to come. She didn't know what tears looked like, but she knew that they were salty and wet, and she hated it when they poured down her face.

After five minutes of sitting alone, Rachel almost got up to find a bathroom stall to sit in, but suddenly she heard a person next to her.

"Rachel," a voice said, extremely close to her.

She jumped and almost dropped her cane, but luckily that person caught it.

"It is just me," Puck almost laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Are you sure about that?" Rachel said softly, scrunching her eyebrows.

"Do you want to come sit with me?" he asked, though it sounded forced to Rachel, like his friends put him up to it. "You shouldn't have to sit alone on your first day here."

"I don't want to intrude," Rachel shrugged. "Maybe I will go to the library… to read or something."

"That is a lie… you can't even read, Rachel," Puck said.

Damnit. He caught her bluff. She did want to sit with him, but at the same time, she didn't. She didn't want him inviting her over there because he was obligated to, and she didn't want to awkwardly talk with his friends.

"Come on," Puck said, using a softer tone.

Rachel reluctantly followed him. When he told her that they were at the table, she hesitantly pulled out a chair and slowly sat down in it, making sure that she didn't have another almost fall accident. She felt like everybody stopped talking the minute she sat.

"This is Rachel," Puck said. "And she is my community service."

"Thanks," Rachel said dryly. She knew that he was attempting a small joke, but she didn't find it funny. At all.

"What do you mean by community service?" she heard a confused voice next to her ask.

"Uh, I guess I should let Rachel explain," Puck said, wishing that he hadn't offended Rachel. He hated it when his mouth didn't connect with his brain.

"I am blind, if you couldn't already tell by cane and hobbling," Rachel said in monotone voice. She was used to telling people that she was blind, so telling these people that she couldn't even see did not faze her.

"Oh," that same voice said. "Well I am sorry."

"Yeah, most people are," Rachel shrugged. "At least that is what they tell me."

"I am Finn," the voice next to her said. "So you are stuck with Puck, huh? How has he been treating you?"

"Just dandy," Rachel said, going for the sarcastic answer. She was normally nervous around strangers, but with Puck there, she just felt bitter. It was nice of him to invite her to his table, but he was still incredibly rude to her. After going through years of tormenting, he reminded her a bit too much of _those _people.

Finn laughed. "Yeah, he isn't a very good guide. I am surprised he even knows where the classrooms are since only goes to class like once a week." Finn laughed at his own joke, and some other people at the table joined in. Clearly Puck was bad news around here. He cut class and spent time in jail… As much as Rachel wanted to learn more about this mystery of a man, he _scared _her.

"So Rachel, what is like being blind?" a girl asked her, though she didn't say it rudely. She actually just sounded intrigued.

"Brittany, don't ask her that," a voice reprimanded her. "That is rude."

"It's okay," Rachel shrugged. "To answer your question… I don't really know. I have been blind since birth, so I don't know what I am missing. _This _is normal to me."

"So you don't even know what you look like?" Brittany gasped. "How do you live? I have to see my reflection like ten times a day to make sure I am not ugly and old."

Rachel pursed her lips, trying not to laugh at the girl's stupidity. She was so simple and naïve. She hadn't experienced the world that Rachel lived in.

"So you're saying… you don't even know what boob size you are?" a girl, Santana, joined the conversation.

"I don't even know what boobs like."

"Oh my God. That is so sad. Well, your boobs are kind of small, so-"

"Santana," Puck cut her off. "Shut up."

A silence filled that table and Rachel could sense that everyone was looking at her inquisitively. She was their entertainment. To them, this was a fascinating world, since they weren't apart of it.

"So how many people have I been talking to?" Rachel turned to Finn, deciding that she liked him the best since he had been the friendliest towards her.

"Oh, only about eleven," Finn chuckled. "I guess I should explain that you are sitting with the glee club."

"Glee club? Like a singing club?" Rachel asked.

"Yep. There are eleven of us. There's me and Puck, Brittany and Santana, Quinn, Mercedes, Sam, Artie, Kurt, Tina, and Mike. I am sure you will talk everyone soon. So do you like to sing, Rachel? We have been looking for a person to join since we need twelve people to compete."

"I enjoy singing," Rachel shrugged, taken aback that Puck was in a singing club. Just when she thought she was figuring this guy out, she learned something that completely changed her outlook on him. A _singing _criminal? It was almost comical.

"The real question is: are you good at it?" Finn laughed.

"I don't think I am bad."

"Why don't you come to practice after school? I guess I should let you know right now that glee kids aren't popular. We are working to change that whole social class thing. We think that kids should be allowed to be a jock _and _a gleek. But the school is still working on that whole acceptance thing."

Rachel contemplated what it would be like joining the club. She was already an outsider, so what did she have to lose? She was already branded with the name _freak_, so joining glee would not tarnish her reputation. And she _did _love singing. She had always been too afraid to sing in public because she wouldn't be able to see people's reactions. But maybe this was an opportunity for her. Maybe this was Rachel's shot of normalcy.

"Okay, I will be there," Rachel decided.

Rachel had no idea what she just agreed to, but she felt pleased with her decision. Finally she could be in a group of people who were misfits like her.

… … …

After lunch ended, Puck told Rachel that they were going to Lit now. She followed behind him, feeling like his shadow. Despite Finn's comments that the glee clubbers were losers, Puck didn't show one sign of it. He was constantly saying hey to people, and he had girls throwing themselves at him left and right. Apparently the rules changed for him.

Suddenly, Rachel tripped on her cane, and she accidentally stabbed somebody's foot with it.

"Damnit!" a guy yelled, and Rachel knew that they were talking to her.

"I am sorry," she said quietly. "That was an accident."

Whoever was speaking did _not _sound happy. "Sure it was," the guy said sarcastically. "You little bitch! Puck put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Woah!" Rachel heard Puck step in front of her. "Calm down, Karofsky. It was just an accident."

She suddenly felt this guy, Karofsky, grabbing her wrists. "Sure it was an accident," the guy repeated, holding her wrists tightly. Rachel didn't know what he was trying to do, but she never felt more unsafe than she did at this moment. This wasn't the kind of danger that she felt when she was around Puck… this was sheer terror.

"Let go," Puck growled. "Don't take out your anger on me on this girl."

"Why not? You don't want to see her fight back?"

"She won't be fighting," Puck said harshly.

Karofsky scoffed. "Yeah, you are going to play Mr. Knight and Shining Armor and fight her battles, huh? Always the lady charmer, Puckerman."

Rachel was seething. She slammed her cane down on Karofsky's foot again, but this time on purpose. She heard him yelp in pain, and she never felt more satisfied. She _hated _it when guys patronized women because of their gender. She was perfectly capable of fighting her own battles despite her being a girl (and blind).

"Look what you did to my foot!" Karofsky roared.

"Sorry, I can't do that. I am blind." With that, Rachel continued walking, a small smile on her face. It seemed being normal just wasn't in Rachel's cards.

Little did Rachel know, she jut put a _huge _target on her back.

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, put this on their favorites, etc. I was very happy with your response :) I hadn't planned to post so quickly, but I was really happy with everyone's comments, and I won't be on FanFiction for a week or so. I have to make a sudden trip with my family to see my grandma, since she broke her hip and needs a lot of help. I should be back and posting in about a week, so be sure to expect a new chapter then!**

**Happy Holidays to everyone!**

**By the way, Finn and Rachel will not be an item. Just friends. And as you can probably tell, Rachel is a bit out of character, but I think that is understandable considering she is blind. Just wanted to clear anything up. **


End file.
